January 28, 2007

When I last visited Anu Simbel in 2004, it was imposible to take photos of the inner sanctuary.
Fortunately, I had already done so 12 years earlier.
In the sanctuary there four seated statues of Amun, Ra-Harakhty, Ptah, and Ramesses.
The temple was constructed in such a way that the sun shines directly on 3 of the statues during two days of the year only the statue of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the shadow.
More pictures from Abu Simbel.

January 24, 2007

January 23, 2007

There is a beautiful “get well gallery” for Andrew Davidhazy who is currently recovering from an illness.
Andy is professor at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences (Rochester Institute of Technology) and founder of one of the liveliest photo forums on the internet whose members now have contributed the works displayed in the gallery.

January 16, 2007

Hanging your rucksack from a tree may offer a certain protection against other species, however, the Capuchin monkeys are not easily deterred, especially if they know there are fruits to be found.
Actually, a few minutes later when nobody was looking, a colleague of the monkey in the picture retrieved a shopping bag full of fruit from another traveller and disappeared with it in a high tree.
Seen on a Costa Rica beach.

January 13, 2007

I was fortunate enough to get a table with an excellent view of Marrakesh’s main square on the evening before my flight back to Germany.
The sunset itself was not spectacular, but seeing the lively Place Jemaa el Fna and the spire of the Kotoubia Mosque under a rapidly changing sky was truly beautiful.
The square itself is already quite lively during day time and offers many attractions: there are many fruit stalls, musicians, magicians, tea vendors and artisans.
When night falls, however, it becomes even busier: there are long rows of food stall catering to tourists as well as the local population and Many people are passing through on their way to the extensive souks surrounding the square.
On the photos you can see the smoke rise from hundreds of grills.Wikipedia told me that the name comes from the Arabic for “Assembly of the dead” and indeed, the heads of many executed people were on display here in ancient times.
Today, it is hard to imagine a livelier spot…

I very much enjoy looking at other people’s impressions of the same locations I visited, here are some I found interesting:

January 7, 2007

Not a full-fledged tea-ceremony - but still a very meditative process: with her back to us, a woman prepares two cups of green macha tea in Tokyos Shinjuku Gyoen Park.
Her silhouette is reflected on the lacquer wood of the table.

January 6, 2007

Located in the heart of Marrakechs new city, Jardin Majorelle is a beautiful spot to somewhat relax from the other wonders of this city.

It once belonged to the painter Jacques Majorelle who also happened to be interested in botanics.
There is a small museum displaying his paintings as well as some islamic art, but possibly his most amazing work is the way brightly coloured buildings and ceramics blend with the tropical plants.
This very much reminded me of the modern glass installations of Dale Chilhuly in Miamis Fairchild Gardens.
The park was also once owned by Yves Saint Laurent.